


To Say Goodbye

by Abyssal_Paladin



Category: Dark Souls (Video Games), Dark Souls II
Genre: Knight King Leeroy, M/M, Really sad shit, Velstadt my poor bby, slight attempt at redemption for Raime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-07-15 00:45:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16051973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abyssal_Paladin/pseuds/Abyssal_Paladin
Summary: The Knight King journeys to Brume Tower to obtain the crown of the Old Iron King. Velstadt of course, goes with him as his loyal Aegis, even though he dreads to see the results.





	To Say Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> The King of Angst returns with loads of angst for my favorite DS2 ship! Credit to Mimiisaza for the idea ;)

When one is caught between choosing to follow their lord until the ends of time itself, and the one whom they loved even if the other felt so no longer, what would one say the correct choice is?

Perhaps there’s none, a fate chosen by the cruel gods to continue their punishment of him acting oh so foolishly when he still served King Vendrick and Queen Nashandra. That would serve to make the most sense: what else is he supposed to do, interfere with his lord’s choice of facing the once mightiest swordsman of Drangleic, or simply sit back and allow for the events to go as the gods wished for it to do so?

Velstadt did not dare to look when the king stormed into the arena, his own black iron mace crackling with arcs of electricity both from the blessing bestowed upon it and from the king’s own arcane might, something that even he too had the capability of doing so until being in the crypt ultimately robbed him of any of the light he had one so expertly wielded.

Yet even from where he stood now, back toward the giant, kiln - like arena where the duel between two great warriors are currently taking place, he heard everything.

The clash of metal, the smooth, wet glide of blade through flesh or the clank of blades bouncing off of armor. There was Raime’s bellows of rage, wordless screams of anger as the Knight King dodged and weaved himself between the Fume Knight’s attacks with impossible grace, lashing back with blows of his own that only made Raime even angrier than he already was -

Was that even the man he had once loved so dearly..? The sounds that he produced were nothing short of completely animalistic, nothing like the stalwart swordsman he had known from so long ago.

A loud, echoing clank rang through the arena, one that enveloped and hid the crunch of bone with a scream of pain from the Fume Knight. Velstadt’s fingers curled into a fist at his side: he wanted to scream, he wanted to run in and thrown himself between the raven and the king he had sworn to serve with his soul. To plead him to spare the other knight, surely, there was another way, another way that did not need for Raime to die!

His eyes shot open, sharply spinning around to peer into the arena. What he saw only made his heart plummet from his chest right into the pit of his gut:

Raime panted heavily, collapsed to one knee still gripping onto his ultra greatsword and the black blade by his side. Ash had dirtied the black armor, painting it white and gray at certain areas: an image he rather would not have taken in when he realized the growing pool of black blood beneath his ruined right knee. The metal of his armor was caved in, digging into his flesh enough to draw blood, not only there but also in several other areas including below his ribcage.

The Knight King himself stood no more than five feet away from the injured man, nimbly dodging a swipe from Raime’s straight sword when the raven attempted to swipe at him again.

Velstadt let out a cry, flinging his weapon aside as he ran to Raime’s side; dropping to his knees and clasping the shoulders of the man he once loved and _still_ adored dearly, even if the last time they met, the words Raime had spoke of still dug into his heart in the form of a thousand knives.

“V-Velstadt..?” Raime rasped. There was no venom nor hatred, only _surprise_ at the man that stood before him. Though he wore his helm still, the Aegis felt his surprise: the massive ultra greatsword that had been in his grip slipping into the ash laden floor. “Why are you here…”

“I can’t leave you, I _won’t_ leave you this time dammit!” A sob tore itself from his throat. Tears flowed freely down his face. Aye, Raime _could_ end him right here and there with just a little effort from his part, but he didn’t want to lose him _again_. After all those years in the crypt, realizing that he had pushed away the man he loved the most away from him because he couldn’t see beyond his blind loyalty for the king was a gaping hole of regret on his heart that widened with the thought that Raime had perished in whatever land was beyond Drangleic.

His heart skipped a beat when a black gauntlet covered, though bloodied, hand clasped his wrist. Raime had not pushed him away as he had half expected him to -

“ _After… all this time…?_ ”

“Always... _always_ …”

The grip on his wrist tightened, not enough to be painful. Raime let out a shuddering breath, his fingers slackening around the blade in his grasp: _centuries_ of pain, of rage and of betrayal had melted away from the raven knight.

“I hurt you…”

“You’ve always been the only one.” Velstadt closed his eyes, leaning into the palm that had oh so gently placed itself against his cheek - his helmet laying forgotten by his side - the familiar warmth he had nearly forgotten welcoming in the coldness of the bleak world he had once resigned himself to. “I’m sorry Raime, I’m - I’m so sorry… you trusted me always and I had turned my back on you during the time when you needed me the most. If I could - ”

“ _My dear Aegis_ …” A rattling breath, riddled with coughs as more of the scarlet red seeped from the rim where the knight’s helm met his armor. “I thought you would have left me for good, after what I’ve said to you… when we met last time.”

Of course, he had not forgotten the poison Raime had spat out at him, declaring that everything they had once shared was nothing but moot. That night was the most torturous of his entire lifetime, worse than every night in the crypt he spent kneeling in the front of Vendrick’s crypt both as his last line of defense and in repentance for what he had done.

“I would never… not after all of this…”

He tried to call on the powers he only barely remembered, but the hole that was widening in his chest would not let him. There was no hint of the white flame he once knew so well, only a swirling darkness, one that sucked out air from his lungs and drove his heart into his throat with every rasping breath that only became weaker and weaker with every passing second: “Raime… Raime stay with me, I beg you…”

Velstadt cried out, clasping the slackening form of the Fume Knight closer: “Please… this world is nothing without you… I love you!”

Only this time there was no reply.

The Aegis had not even realized it was screaming, just that some abysmal sound, like a wounded animal, was escaping his throat. It hurt too much! Like a half of his soul was ripped out of him, taking with it a shard of his heart as well: not even a chance to properly look upon the face that had haunted his dreams for nearly an eternity.

Not even a chance to properly say _good bye_.


End file.
